Malati Indian Restaurant - Krabi

Klong Muang Beach Restaurants & Dining

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It seems incongruous that people should come all the way to Thailand and eat Indian food. But when Thai cuisine is thrown in as well then it's a completely different ball game. Malati in the Sheraton Krabi Resort features just this combination.

But don't turn your nose up at the hint of the 'F' word – fusion cooking, Malati doesn't 'do' fusion, choosing rather to serve alternative and complementing dishes in a clever combination of two of the world's most popular and tasty cuisines.

Where Is It?

Malati is in the sumptuous grounds of the Sheraton Krabi Beach Resort on Klong Muang Beach, north of Ao Nang in a tranquil and peaceful part of the world. Park up near the attractive lobby and get a hotel golf buggy down, or alternatively stroll through the lovely grounds to this futuristic-looking restaurant. Surrounded by verdant lawns and overlooking the beach itself, Malati is in the perfect location.

Décor

Very modern but with an ancient twist. The design at Malati is essentially cubic with square marble-topped tables and an oblong-shaped eating area. This may sound cold, but the lighting arrangements here more than mellow things out and the wonderful thing is that they are programmed to subtly change as the evening progresses.

The restaurant's centrepiece is a lime-green under-lit food display table. Outside on the terrace, the adjacent cocktail bar provides cool sounds and more mellow lighting.

In concession to the hotel's location there are Muslim touches such as the white Islamic geometry roof metalwork which is simply fascinating. All in all, a very interestingly designed restaurant.

Atmosphere

In spite of the marvelous design and great food, the beach dominates at this 80-cover restaurant, with cool breezes and luscious views out over the Andaman to neighbouring islands. You'd have to sit with your back to the beach not to be chilled out by the palms and sand and what's the use of that?

As mentioned, the cocktail bar – also imaginatively lit – influences the atmosphere at Malati and the ultra-modern décor and design makes for an eclectic combination of tastes that defy compartmentalising.

Wine

There are more than 30 labels at Malati on its 'Wines of the World' list. It features a good choice of Australian, French and Italian bottles and labels are generally priced at over 2,000 baht with a glass of Australian Chardonnay going for 460 baht.

The Michel Lynch white from France is recommendable but perhaps the Madfish Australian Rose would be the best choice for this sort of cuisine.

If you decide to bring your own bottle there is a 500 baht corkage fee.

The tandoori chicken comes in a mild tomato curry and of course all this is accompanied by naan bread and roti. Perhaps the best dish of the evening is dal makhani – black lentils served with tomato, cream and masala spices.

Malati has the only genuine tandoori oven in the region and the restaurant's reputation has spread quickly – so much so that local expats have made it 'their' Indian and with the recent addition of the talented Frédéric Molinie who has just arrived from a stint in Mumbai and Indian Chef Raju Nivre things are definitely cooking here. Sweet mango and sticky rice finish things off in style for our Beach-Indian-Thai culinary adventure.

Service

Discreet, polite and quietly efficient. I cannot remember my wine glass being replenished but it constantly was; such is the discreetness of Malati's service staff.

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